From September 11 to 17, Yekaterinburg – a city in the very heart of Russia – became the capital of youth dialogue for a few days and hosted the International Festival of Youth – 2026. The MGIMO team became part of this large-scale event by preparing a special program, the “Laboratory for Future Global Leaders” – a space where education, technology, and the international agenda came together in an interactive format.
MGIMO Space
The MGIMO booth was divided into several thematic zones:
♟ “Diplomacy as a Game of Chess” immersed visitors in contemporary international politics. The information screen introduced them to the current global agenda, while an interactive three-player chess game with an AI assistant turned the metaphor of multipolarity into a gaming experience.
The “Forge of Global Leaders” zone was dedicated to MGIMO. Here visitors could learn about the university, while the AI program “Sorting Hat” selected a personalized educational route depending on the participant’s interests and preferences.
The “Feel Like a Global Leader” area shifted visitors from the role of observer to that of a participant in the global agenda. With the help of an AI mirror, everyone could see themselves at the UN podium or at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov, or MGIMO Rector Anatoly Torkunov.
A separate part of the stand was the zone for MGIMO master classes and presentations. A phygital mock-up of the university facade allowed anyone to literally look into MGIMO’s windows and feel like a university student for a few minutes.Every day at the MGIMO stand was truly lively: activists from student associations gave tours, interactive activities, lectures, quizzes, and master classes, introducing Festival participants to the university and creating a space for communication.
During the Festival, MGIMO’s space was visited by thousands of participants and high-ranking guests from various countries, including:
• Sergey Kiriyenko, First Deputy Head of the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation,
• Maxim Oreshkin, Deputy Head of the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation,
• Dmitry Chernyshenko, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation,
• Yana Lantratova, Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation,
• Grigory Gurov, Head of Rosmolodezh,
• Konstantin Kolpakov, Deputy Head of Rossotrudnichestvo,
• Sivilay Mina, Deputy Secretary of the Central Committee of the Lao Youth Union,
• Alireza Rahimi, Secretary of the Supreme Council for Youth and Adolescents of Iran.
MGIMO Program
As part of the Festival, MGIMO held a series of major events that brought together thousands of participants:
interactive session “Skills of the Future: No-Tie Talk”;
panel discussion “Leadership in a Multipolar World”; project game “Youth Laboratory for the New World Order”; master class “Laboratory of Voice”;session “New Global Architecture of the World: An Open Dialogue with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia Sergey Lavrov”The speakers at MGIMO’s events included:
Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia Sergey Lavrov,
Maria Zakharova, Director of the Information and Press Department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs,Arno Gujon, Director of the Office for Public and Cultural Diplomacy of the Government of the Republic of Serbia,Dauren Abayev, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Kazakhstan to Russia,Toufik Djouma, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Algeria to Russia,Kunal Sharma, President of the Indian youth platform Chhatra Sansad, and many others.The IFY–2026 was a special experience for the MGIMO team. Thank you to everyone who stopped by our stand, took part in the events, asked questions, shared their ideas, and helped us create this atmosphere!
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